To find out more details about the transfer to The Open University see A New Chapter for OCA.
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OCA study visits are largely designed to network students and help them develop their critical perspectives, but just occasionally they also present opportunities to develop practical skills. Saturday’s visit to the Whitechapel Art Gallery Thomas Struth retrospective provided ample opportunities to hone one’s social documentary skills. The confluence of about 1000 English Defence League demonstrators, […]
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I am grateful to tutor Alan Byrne for bringing my attention to the work of student Ghada Al Qassimi. Assignment 4 of Art of photography requires the student to use their knowledge of lighting to bring our physical properties of a single object, producing two photographs each which emphasise shape, form, texture and colour. It […]
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I guess Muammar Gaddafi will not be having a ride in his hot air balloon again anytime soon. The end of his regime must have felt as surreal to him as it felt seeing his UK-made hot air balloon when I was out on a bike ride in Ashton Court in Bristol. I had completely […]
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Some videos which appear in WeAreOCA benefit from explanatory text. I don’t think these two interviews which Jose and I filmed with photographer Briony Campbell need any further explanation. To see more of The Dad Project see Briony Campbell’s site: The Dad Project film The Dad Project stills
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Writing a review of a book which features one’s work may seem a rather cheeky and unintelligent attempt at self-promotion. But Maria Short’s new book Context and Narrative, recently published by AVA Books, is the kind of learning resource that many OCA students will want to have on their bookshelves. In any case my participation is […]
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The latest learning log to make Blog of the Week is David’s People and Place blog. David is probably better known to fellow students from the student site and flickr as Atkobeau, and People and Place is his second OCA course. (His Art of Photography blog is also worth a look and is here). There […]
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Its hard to know who we ‘should be looking at’ when studying art. It’s easier to follow one’s nose and just investigate artists when you come across something you like. However, I can’t get away from the niggling feeling that there must be lots of contemporary artists that I should know more about, but its […]
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I went to the opening of OCA tutor Maggy Milner’s new show at the Victorian workhouse in Southwell last week (previously posted about here). The installations were delicately beautiful, and deeply sensitive and thoughtful evocations of the possible feelings of the workhouse inhabitants. What was most striking about the event was how engaged people were […]
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Sheffielders love or loathe it, but Council workers must have a sentimental streak, since some dramatic graffiti has remained in place (for years) on a link bridge at a precarious height on Sheffield’s iconic example of brutalist 60’s architecture, Park Hills Flats, which sits resplendent above the city’s railway station. In fact recently the graffiti, […]
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There is a fascinating discussion running in the OCA student site prompted by student Brian Lavery. Brian had the enterprise to email Seattle based artist Chris Jordan and Chris responded. In case the name isn’t familiar to you the video above is a trailer for a film which is his current project and his website […]
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